Men’s golf focused on team, not individual

State Hornet Staff

It would not be far off the mark to say Sacramento State men’s golf team is the most tight-knit team in college golf, according to junior Owen Taylor.

“My freshman year, that was the first thing that they said (to me),” Taylor said. “This team, we get along better than probably any team in college golf. We hang out every single day and it’s my junior year, and still it’s the same.”

Golf is usually considered an individual sport, even when competing as a team, each golfer is going to try to come out on top. While that holds true for the Hornets, they enjoy the camaraderie that comes with being a team in a sport where that is not the norm.

“We got such a good group of guys,” Taylor said. “I mean we are all best friends and we all get along great.”

After a strong showing at the Anteater Invitational in Costa Mesa, Calif., in which they took second place, the Hornets followed that up with another second place finish at the Folino Invitational last Tuesday.

The second-place finish was expected from Sac State, as Cal State Fullerton was the top-ranked team in the tournament. Head coach Chris Hall knew it would be a tough tournament, but would have hoped for a better start.

“Coming home with second place wasn’t a defeat, it’s kind of (where) I assumed we would finish at,” Hall said. “I think the hardest part was our start. We started off the first nine holes and we were 18-over par.”

After the shaky start, the Hornets finished the last 36 holes at 3-under par, finishing the tournament at 15-over par. 

“We battled back,” Hall said. “It’s just hard when you start that many over par to fight back.”

The Hornets will start getting ready for their home tournament at Valley Hi Country Club on March 3 and 4. Freshman Cody Bates is confident the team will take full advantage of being on Sac State’s home course.

“I think we can all put together under-par rounds and win that tournament by a lot,” Bates said.

The confidence did not end with Bates, as Taylor feels the players are hitting their stride at the right time, and will look to dominate at home.

“I think it’s going to give us a chance to make us well-known in the community,” Taylor said. “I think we have a chance at winning by double digits to be honest.”

As the Hornets look to remain consistent down the stretch, they hope to have a good shot at going deep into the America Sky Championships, a title they won in 2012. Bates believes when it comes to being one of the best in college golf, the main drive is consistency.

“We always have one or two guys that have a solid tournament, and that’s what separates us from the best teams in the country,” Bates said. “They have four or five guys that do it every tournament. It’s consistency, we just all need to put it together at the same time.”